Duck poop

[jdarling]

One of my duckstuff has started having really watery poop. I do add brewers yeast to their food but nowhere I have seen says that will cause watery poop. They are 3 weeks old and he/she is quite a bit bigger then my other duck. Maybe I need to start them on more then chick food before they are four weeks?

 

[AChickenCarer]

Have you been giving them any watery vegetables or fruits? Those often make duck poop alot runnier then usual.

 

[jdarling]

No. I was under the impression that I had to wait till they were 4 weeks before I started to give them more then chick feed. They do go outside in my yard with me an nibble the ground and grass.

 

[AChickenCarer]

If you want to you can try a little bit of dairy products in their meals. Be careful with it though because it can make them constipated. Some dairy products you can give them are Cottage Cheese, Milk, and Plain Yogurt not flavored. I'm not an expert in ducks so if you want better advice then I'd wait or try to find similar posts to this. Dairy just makes their poop a little harder and dryer then without it.

 

[jdarling]

I will try that! Thanks!

 

[jdarling]

Hey guys. This poor baby Is just having issue.woke up this morning with his head all backwards. Google showed me it's probably wry neck.started vit E and herbs in water. Is there anything else I can do?

 

[Amiga]

Yes, I think so. Have you seen Bentley's story?

I think B vitamins would also make a big difference pretty quickly. Here is a writeup about that.

People often get confused about what to use, so please stick with me here

.

You have some options.

I would go with brewer's yeast. Forgive me for using capital letters, but for anyone else who may casually look over this thread, NOT baking yeast, NOT winemaking yeast. Brewer's yeast is a nutritional supplement and it provides niacin and a few other vitamins.

Generally, folks who supplement with brewer’s yeast use a tablespoon per cup of food.

Ducklings need about three times the niacin chicks do. And some ducklings get leg problems or seizures if they don't have enough niacin.

If you cannot find the brewer's yeast, or if you happen to have (here come the capital letters again, please forgive me) PLAIN niacin - NOT no-flush, NOT timed release, then dissolve 150 mg niacin per gallon of water for the duckling’s drinking water.

Another approach is to use B Complex capsules, and use the B3 - niacin - levels as a guide. Again, 150 mg B3 per gallon of drinking water.


Keep the little one on the supplements for about 8 weeks.

Sometimes it only takes a few days to see improvement.

You can also see how it went for Qwackers and Bentley from these threads.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/857143/treating-wry-neck-in-crested-duckling-edited-title

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/761308/peking-duckling-with-crooked-neck-help

 

[jdarling]

Thank you!!
It was so crazy he was fine last night then this morning he was all twisted and couldn't walk. Went to tractor supply and was almost in tears when the guy was like we have new ducks...what! I don't want a new duck!
Held him to give him water and food. I have been mixing brewers yeast in the food. He already seems more active tonight then this morning.

 

[Amiga]

Yes, do watch out for him, choking risk. Sounds like you are on your way. Often, B vitamin supplements (sometimes paired with E) can begin to improve matters within days.

 

[jdarling]

He is still bent backwards. Been hand feeding and watering him. Making sure he doesn't chock but his eye is red and puffy too..